May. 15, 2003 - 20:37 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

I sometimes wonder if the powers that be are trying to presume that the population of our country will be in the next few years educated to the level of rocket scientists, nuclear physicists, neurosurgeons or some other esoteric line of work ?

It looks to me that very little effort has been put forth by government, industry and big business mathematicians who all have seemed to see only that things can be done cheaper off shore or out of country. Sure it can, it can even be accomplished much cheaper even when the shipping is paid.

The reasons should be obvious I guess, lower wages for the employees, lower infrastructure costs, almost no control of hours worked, working conditions, pollution of the surrounding area or most anything else.

So much for the blue collar, sweaty, workman, he is out of work ! Most of them don't have time to retrain and compete for jobs that are already scarce in "white collar" jobs. So much for the poor bloke -- you know, "the poor we have with us always."

Some clerical, office, data jobs are also now going out of country or places they never should be. I have read that some office type work has been contracted out to prisons here.

The Denver Post Sunday May 11 th, Headlined, "Info 'outsourcing' could cost millions of U. S. jobs." Which cites one case of New Jersey calls going to Bombay, India. A contractor had arranged for Bombay operators to handle calls from the state's welfare recipients.

There are names for all this stuff, "outsourcing" (when the work is done by another company) "Offshoring," if run by a company itself (through foreign workers).

It says, "American companies say a weak economy is pushing them to find new ways to cut cost. (The companies have been doing that for years, who do they think they are kidding ?)

Some say that American workers have pushed up the costs of labor, consequently pricing us out of competition in the world. That might be partly right. Overcompensated upper echelon folks could be a part of it. Investors who demand profit and don't give a hoot how it is achieved are in the running too.

Bean counters without a conscience, investors who gotta get theirs, unions who try up the scale for less work, and probably many other reasons are why we are in a mess.

What is the solution ? Is there a solution ? Will any group get real and compromise ? Will any group quit blowing things out of proportion ? Could all the groups get together, the businesses promising not to outsource or offshore, the unions and employee types agreeing to lower wages, decent benefits in exchange ? Sure they could. Will they ? I think we all rather doubt that.

Illegal immigration has filled the market with workers who will work under most any condition, so are low paid to add to the confusion.

The problem exists and is growing day by day. Even today HMO's are too expensive for people to belong to unless part of the cost is paid by their company. Folks who can't have that can't afford to get sick, or if they get sick, can't afford to have their prescriptions filled. Therefore health care is bargained for by unions with the companies. I think in third world countries health care is not subsidized by companies. And so on down the line.

The bean counters and cloud castle type in upper management want intelligent employees, who can be shifted about to do different jobs at management's will, who are highly trained in specialized things. BUT no consideration is given to the fact that there are many people in our country cannot be trainable to high levels of technology. They can work hard, do good work but their means of earning a living has left the country. Many corporations pay no taxes, so where is the money coming from to succor those whose jobs have been taken from them and sent overseas ?

Something pertinent to last nights entry. Paul Krugman is somewhat biased as has been pointed out to me today. But I think some of the things he said have validity. An article in the Rocky Mountain News May 15 by Neil Roland of Bloomberg News is grinding no axes I think and involves FCC also. Seems as if FCC is jockeying around here and there. There is a company that has eight radio stations in Denver, Colorado alone and 12 in three other cities in our state. And FCC is milling around. How the heck did that happen anyway ?

Seems like newspapers are not controlled enough either as to how many can be owned by one corporation, company or person. Our two Denver big newspapers are now working on a Joint Operating Agreement -- purportedly the printing facilities are pooled, but ? ? ? ? ?

Krugman has a point I think, in among his biases. And in my mind it seems that these code named activities and departments are part and parcel of controlled media output.

This mouse is paranoid in matters Of Cats . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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